PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The birthplace of college football is again looking
for a coach to build a winner.
Terry Shea of Rutgers will resign at the end of the season after failing to
put together a winning program in five years at the school.
He had the worst record (11-41) of any coach who held the job for more than
a year. The Scarlet Knights are 3-5 this season and 0-5 in the Big East
Conference.
Shea will coach the final three games. He agreed to leave after meeting with
athletic director Robert Mulcahy on Thursday.
"This is the first time that I have not succeeded in establishing a winning
program at the major college level," Shea said Friday.
He has one year remaining on his contract, which has a base salary of
$160,000.
Mulcahy has started a search for a new coach. He said money will not be an
obstacle.
"There is a commitment from me and the university to get this done,"
Mulcahy said.
Mulcahy said he made the move in the bye week so questions about Shea's
future would not be a distraction.
"There is a genuine affection these kids have for Terry Shea, and I just
believe that taking the distractions and the weight off the decision would give
them the opportunity to go out and play," Mulcahy said. "Putting someone else
in charge for three games wouldn't accomplish anything."
Mulcahy will personally pick the new coach. His short list of replacements
reportedly includes head coaches Gary Darnell of Western Michigan, Gary Pinkel
of Toledo and two coordinators -- Miami defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers.
Going into the season Mulcahy told Shea he had to have a winning season and
be competitive. But the Scarlet Knights were beaten in consecutive weeks by
Pittsburgh, Miami and Temple, the last a 48-14 loss at home.
"After the Temple game, the only thing I thought about was jumping off the
Hale Center," Mulcahy said, referring to the building that houses the football
offices.
Rutgers, which played Princeton in the first college game in 1869, has a bye
this weekend, before finishing against West Virginia, Notre Dame and Syracuse.
Mulcahy asked recruits considering Rutgers not to be hasty in making their
choices.
"We will get the best coach we can at the earliest date possible, and we
will be competitive in the Big East," Mulcahy said.
In its five losses this season, Rutgers was outscored 232-43.
Shea, who had a 15-6-2 record at San Jose State, replaced the fired Doug
Graber in 1996 with hopes of building a program with a Bill Walsh-type West
Coast offense.
Shea never got the talent to make it happen. He had records of 2-9, 0-11,
5-6 and 1-10. His five wins in 1998 after going winless the year before were
enough to earn him Big East Coach of the Year.
The '98 season gave Shea the hope that he was close to turning the program
around. However, injuries decimated the team the following season and led to
just one win,. The lone triumph came against Syracuse, Shea's only win over a
bowl team.
"The momentum we worked so hard to capture proved as elusive a goal as I
have ever pursued," Shea said.
Rutgers was 4-29 in Big East play under Shea, including 1-16 in league road
games. The Scarlet Knights gave up 40 or more points in 23 games under Shea.
Rutgers has not been to a bowl game since the Garden State Bowl in 1978. The
Scarlet Knights have had only six winning seasons since.
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